The Renzo Piano Pavilion, an addition to the Kimbell Art Museum, is the rare building actually named after its architect. Photo by Robert Polidori, provided by the Kimbell Art Museum.

The walls are concrete inside and out at the the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The mixture, poured on-site, is 2 percent titanium to enhance its strength. Photo by ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post.

The roof of the Renzo Piano Pavilion slopes down to the ground, inviting pedestrian up to the city's newest public green space. Photo by Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post

The Perez Art Museum connects to nature on its own terms with the vertical gardens along the exterior. Photo by Iwan Baan, provided by the Perez Art Museum.

The new Perez Art Museum, on Biscayne Bay in Miami, is set on stilts to avoid flood dangers.
Photo by Iwan Baan, provided by the Perez Art Museum.

The Perez Art Museum at dusk. The building was designed by Herzog & de Meuron architects, based in Basel, Switzerland. Photo by Iwan Baan, provided by the Perez Art Museum.

The Perez Art museum opened to the public Dec. 4, 2013, with an exhibit by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei Photo provided by the Perez Art Museum.

Photos: Best Architecture of 2013

The year 2013 was the start of comeback for architecture in the U.S., still lagging from the effects of the Great Recession. This year's list of notable buildings is shorter than usual, and so are the structures themselves - nothing rises above three stories. But the museums and schools here all stand tall for their era.